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Where are students learning?

Office of Governor Ralph Northam

Around the time Governor Ralph Northam asked school administrators to offer in-person learning by March 15, roughly a third of students were in fully-remote school divisions. Data updated Monday by the Department of Education said 4% were in fully-remote school divisions.

"I expect every school division in the Commonwealth to make in-person learning options available by March 15, 2021,” Northam wrote superintendents and members of school boards on February 5th.

 
The Virginia Department of Education defines ‘in person” learning as having students in schools at least 4 days a week. Currently 20% of students are in divisions with an “in person” system. Data for the week of February 16th indicated only 5% of students were in such systems.

 
The VDOE data shows 44% of students are in an “All Hybrid” system. That nomenclature refers to a system where all students are in a hybrid system. In a hybrid system, students are getting some in-person instruction and some at home.

 
The most common version of that in today’s schools has one group of students going into schools 2 days a week, and another group goes a different 2 days. The other day is remote. That system contrasts with partial hybrid systems, where part of a student body, typically younger students, are attending schools some days a week, and another part is remote. The VDOE data said 4.5% of students are in school divisions with partial hybrid systems.

All divisions are still offering a fully-remote option to students. Chris Ballenger, the superintendent of Warren County Public Schools in the Shenandoah Valley, said while some students are still opting to take the remote option, their share of the student body are decreasing. 

 
Ballenger was visiting his secondary schools Monday, moving his system from a partial in person system, to an in person system.

 
“It seemed like the first day of school and we’re having it in march instead of August,” he said. The district had been planning the transition for a while now. “Room, space, distance…. we have to evaluate all of those against VDOE guidelines, VDH guidelines, and CDC guidelines.” 

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Jahd Khalil is a reporter and producer in Richmond.
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